The twenty-ninth season of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team has started. As usual, the first pedal strokes in official competition took place on the other side of the World, on the Tour Down Under. Right from the opening stage, on Tuesday, the French squad stood out thanks to its British sprinter Matt Walls, who took an excellent third place and therefore achieved his best result since joining the organization. The 2025 season is off to a good start.
Summer temperatures, yet not excessive, and a bumpy terrain, yet not too demanding. Everything was set for the year’s first official race day on Tuesday, between Prospect and Gumeracha, to launch the Tour Down Under. “It was hot last weekend, around 34-36 degrees, but we knew that the temperature would drop a bit at the start of the week,” explained Jussi Veikkanen, the group’s sports director in Australia. “It was a typical start to get back on track.” A trio including Fergus Browning, Zac Marriage and Bastien Tronchon easily got away from the peloton from the start, rode together until the first bonus sprint, after which the Frenchman waited for the bunch. “Most part of the day was controlled by the Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe,” Jussi also specified. Three days after the traditional criterium, where he took tenth place, Matt Walls was the Groupama-FDJ’s main man for the day since a bunch sprint was anticipated after one hundred and fifty kilometres. “At the briefing, we said that we were going 100% for Matt, that was clear to everyone,” added Jussi. “The second goal was to find our place in the peloton with Sven-Erik as road captain. That was done. We were in front, together, as a team.”
“We didn’t panic,” Matt Walls
At the front, the Australian duo managed to get a five-minute lead at best, but the growing tension in the last hour of racing made the bunch closer really fast. Twenty-four kilometers from the finish, everything came back together, and a very nervous peloton was then heading towards Gumeracha. “The plan was for Clément, Sven and Eddy to work in the first part of the approach to the sprint, and that’s what happened,” said Jussi. “The boys did a great job of looking after me all day and keeping me in a good position until the last few kilometres,” added Matt Walls. “Lewis then did a perfect job of delivering me to Sam Welsford’s wheel coming into the final 500 metres. We didn’t panic and waited for the right time. It was a really good job from the team.” That’s how the Briton was able to come into the final straight fighting for victory. “I tried to come around Sam in the sprint, but he held on and pulled away in the last hundred metres,” said Matt, who eventually came third on the line. “As a team, I think we can take some confidence out of it going into the next days. Teamwork was good, the feeling was good, it was a good first stage!”
“We had already seen some great work on Saturday night, but it was ‘just’ a criterium,” added Jussi. “Hopefully we will keep this mindset until the end of the Australian stay. Apart from that, the goal for Rémy and Quentin was to avoid any split. There was a big crash two kilometres from the finish, but they got the winner’s time and above all, we were not caught up in it.” Sam Welsford therefore won the first stage and took on the leader’s jersey, which could change shoulders in Tanunda on Wednesday. “We did the same circuit last year but in the other direction,” concluded Jussi. “As a sports director, I have never done the circuit hill in this direction, but as a rider I did. From what I remember, it made quite a selection at the time. It can cause damage, but it all depends on the peloton’s attitude. We have to be ready for different scenarios.”
